Pocketship
by risokura
Summary: There's nothing like a little good ole dysfunction during the holidays. AU.
1. My Brother's Hot Best Friend

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**AN: **I've been thinking a lot about where I want to take Pocketship while it's been on its little _hiatus_ and after careful speculation, I thought instead of just having the entire story be from Roxas's point of view—I'm completely tapped out from writing a first person Roxas since I finished Inertia Creeps—why not incorporate a whole _bunch _of point of views? I've always wanted to write a story like that, and seeing as I hadn't taken Pocketship that far I figured it would be pretty easy to turn things around and do so.

**Pocketship: Chapter One**  
My Brother's Hot Best Friend  
_Roxas_

Axel Ramirez has been my next door neighbor ever since I was three.

He moved in at the beginning of one summer with his mother, father, and older brother Reno. My mother had just picked me up from Hayner's house, and she was off to pick up my older brother, Demyx, so she could bring us over to the new neighbor's house and greet them.

Axel was sitting down on the curb in a pair of ripped up jeans that had probably seen better days and his unruly red hair as wild as ever. In his lap was a bulldog puppy, which he was petting absent mindedly as he stared off into the sky. My mother soon became absorbed in conversation with Axel's mother and the two seemed to hit it off instantly. Demyx dragged me along to go greet Axel once his mother called his name and he looked nonchalantly over his shoulder to see what she wanted.

The first thing I noticed were his eyes. Those vibrant, one of a kind, malachite eyes. They were so intense like he was burning me without fire. It was on that day that he said his first words to me, "The names Axel. That's A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" He even tapped his forehead for emphasis.

That was the start of things.

Being that Axel and my brother were the same age, the two of them more or less became best friends in a matter of months. The both of them were always getting into trouble one way or another. Like the time they set old Mr. Merlin's tabby on fire. Or that time when mom caught them throwing water filled condoms off the roof at people that passed by. Mom's probably grounded Demyx more times than I can count on both my fingers and toes.

As for my _personal _relationship with Axel, I've always been his best friend's smart little brother. You know the one who constantly tries to rationalize the stupidity of his older brother's antics, or covers for him when he's been out at some party and comes into the house at some ungodly hour, too far gone to remember where he is.

In return, Axel, in a way, has always felt like a retarded older brother to me more than anything else. A pyromaniac …retarded older brother. He's always been over to celebrate Hanukkah and Passover and he was at Demyx's bar mitzvah as well as my own. (If you haven't guessed by now, I'm Jewish. Shalom. Or how Axel says it – shaylum.)

Whenever we've got something planned, Axel is always somewhere in the fray doing …something …be it destructive or not. So, when he showed up on our door step one December afternoon, cigarette in hand and a smirk on his face, I really didn't think too much of it. He was probably just here to bother Demyx and the two of them would probably go out and get into all sorts of trouble.

He grinned at me when I answered the door, stubbed his cigarette out, tossed it over his shoulder and allowed it to roll into the street. Trails of smoke wafted out from the dying embers and he relaxed his shoulders. His red hair was subdued by the chill of the winter, flattening and flowing in the harsh wind that encircled the air.

"Roxassss." He rasped, "Long time no see. How's college treating ya? Dem didn't tell me you'd be back so soon."

"I'm fine," I opened the door wider to let him in, "Actually; I just got back last night …"

He shrugged his jacket off, heading over to the coat rack to hang his jacket up. "Is Demyx up yet?" He asked, following me into the living room where I had been watching TV at.

"No, he's probably still knocked out …" I replied, picking up the remote.

He crossed his arms in thought. "Sheesh …"

My mother came into the living room, looking quite rushed. When she caught sight of Axel standing beside me, she instantly greeted him with a cheerful smile, "Axel!" She began, tucking a few loose strands of her unruly blonde hair behind her ear.

He waved toward her, "Hey, Mrs. A. How've you been?"

"Pressed for time at the moment," She replied absent mindedly, "If you'll excuse me, I simply have to find my watch …"

"What's up with her?" Axel asked me.

"Last minute packing." I answered, finding nothing on the first few channels I had browsed through.

My mother and father were off on a two week vacation for the holidays, courtesy of Demyx and me as an early Hanukkah present. With them being gone, that left the two of us—Demyx and I—to our own devices for the entire length of the break.

I would more than likely spend the length of my vacation hanging out with Hayner, Pence, Olette and Naminé …or occupying myself in …other ways …

"So, you turn eighteen yet?" He asked sitting down on the couch next to me.

"On the 26th."

"That right, you're after Marx …" He rubbed his head, "I always end up getting you guys confused. All you December babies …"

My mother rushed by once again, looking like she was on the verge of snapping. My father was lugging their bags down the stairs, calling out my mother's name. "Sabel! SABEL! Can you stop fretting for five minutes and help me with these bags?"

"Forget about the bags for five minutes, Teier! I can't find the keys to the Rav 4! Where in God's name did you put them last night!" She was shaking her hands in exasperation.

"Right on the kitchen table!" My father responded quickly, reaching down to catch a sliding bag.

"Um, mom?" I interjected between them.

"What Roxas?" She asked, her voice growing hysterical. "What? What do you want?"

"Demyx took it out last night after you guys picked me up…" I started, "You might want to check under the first floor bathroom sink…"

"…Of all places …" My mother rushed past my father who was struggling with bags as he was coming down the stairs. Axel rose from the couch, crossing the length of the living room to go help my father with their luggage.

"Why, _thank you_, Axel." My father slung a bag over his shoulder as Axel picked up the remaining bags off the steps, "Seeing as my **wife** left me all alone to fend for _myself_!"

My mother came back, looking absolutely livid. "I'm going to kill that boy." She looked at my father, "Well, what are you standing around for? Get those bags into the car!"

"I need the keys, honey." My father responded, trying to get the venom from out of his voice.

"Right," She dropped the keys into my father's hands as he unlocked the front door and trampled out into the winter cold. Axel began to help him pile the bags into the car while my mother stayed in the house. At that moment, Demyx was coming sleepily down the stairs, yawning loudly. My mom turned on him in an instant, yelling loudly, "You! YOUNG MAN! What have I told you about putting stuff back where you **found **it!"

He stared at her as if she were speaking another language, "…Wha?"

She sighed in frustration as she shook her head, "Never mind." She reached forward and gathered him into a hug, kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair so that it was out of his face. "We're off, okay? Take good care of my little baby while we're gone and **don't** you dare think about throwing any parties. I've already asked kind old Merlin to keep an eye on you boys for me."

"Maaaa-OOOM." He moaned, swatting her away. "I'm twenty one!"

"Twenty one or not, sometimes I think Roxas has more sensibility than you and he's still seventeen."

"I am too sensible …" Demyx pouted, as if he were a wounded puppy.

"Roxas, come here honey." She turned to me ignoring him. "Make sure he doesn't do anything … rather … make sure he doesn't destroy or damage anything while we're gone, okay?"

I shrugged just as Axel came back into the house. "I'll try." I headed back over to the couch, sitting down to flip through channels again.

Axel instantly grinned when he saw Demyx standing on the stairwell making his way over to my brother. "Hey, Dem! You're up."

"Hey man." Demyx mumbled tiredly, running a hand through his mess of a hair, "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. Roxas let me in." Axel answered, gesturing off toward me.

"Sabel, everything's packed. Let's go so we can beat traffic!" My father yelled from outside.

The car started up outside and my mother rolled her eyes, reaching for the door knob. She paused as she turned to look back at all three of us. There was her ever deceptive smile before her voice rose and she screamed, "_**BEHAVE!**_" Axel and Demyx flinched while I stared on at her. How many times had I heard this coming speech, before? _"_I don't want to hear any stories about things mysteriously getting set on fire, relieving yourselves in the neighbors yards or crashed cars into the fronts of houses!" She narrowed her eyes, "This warning is completely directed at you two. I know Roxas would _never _do something like that."

Taking one last look at us, my mother closed the door behind her and was off down the walkway to get into the car. The engine revved, my father honked the horn twice and the two of them were off.

"…Sooooooo," Demyx started, turning to look at Axel devilishly, "What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. I thought we could go harass Marluxia or something. You know? The usual…" Axel replied, grinning at him. "We could kidnap his cat and dress it up or something …"

"You know I can't refuse a proposition of pissing Marluxia off! I'll go get dressed!" Demyx yelled excitedly, thumping up the stairs.

I sighed, shaking my head at them. Marluxia was of the many members of my brain damaged brother's group of friends. The first time I had met him, I thought he was a girl. Just a thought, how many boys do _you_ know who dye their hair pink and wear a **matching** flower in it on a daily basis? …Even in the winter time?

As Demyx headed back upstairs, Axel headed over to sit down next to me. He was currently grinning up a storm as the prospect of later antics. With his eyebrows drawn high in curiosity, he turned to look at me. "So, what are you doing for your break, Roxy?" He probed, "Got a sexy little girly you're gonna spend it with?"

I coughed, "Um …sure …."

"What was her name? Larxene's little sister …that little blonde girl …ah …ah …" He snapped his fingers, trying to remember something. Before he could get his thought out, my brother had come trampling back down the stairs dressed and ready to go. "That was quick." Axel stated, standing up.

"Yeah …but you know …I didn't get to brush my teeth …" He scratched his head, "My toothbrush wasn't in the bathroom …"

"That's because you broke it in the car's ignition last night." I told him, "…Then again, you were too drunk to even realize it."

Demyx scratched his cheek. "Yeah …well, I'll have to buy a new one while we're out. Let's go Axel!" He hadn't even bothered to zip up his coat as he reached for the door knob to open the front door.

Axel followed him, pulling on his coat and zipping it up. He turned around to look at me, waving. "See ya, Roxy!" He winked to me just as the door closed and he and Demyx began running down the street in the direction toward Marluxia's house.

I peered out of the kitchen window and watched them disappear out of view. When they were gone for good, I retreated back to the living room where I collapsed on the sofa in front of the television. After a moment, I inhaled deeply as I fell over onto the spot where Axel had been sitting at previously and inhaled deeply.

Yes, that was Axel Ramirez.

My next door neighbor since I was three. My brother's best friend. Pyromaniac.

…And most of all …

My crush. The object of all my boyish glee and …perhaps, someday, maybe affection.

You can insert a dramatic longing sigh here.

Oh come on, like you didn't see that coming? My brother's best friend is hot. Come** on**. And on a more personal note to myself, I need to find a better name for Axel. …Boyish glee is starting to sound pretty gay.

…As if I'm not.

-x-

I was making a dinner of pasta with garlic and butter sauce when the front door slammed loudly against the wall. Just so you know, this happens every time Demyx opens a door. There's an indentation on the wall where the knob fits perfectly because he does it so damn much.

Demyx and Axel had finally come back in tow with Marluxia—looking positively gay with the flowers in his hair—and their 'emo' friend Zexion, who was quieter than emo if anything. Yes, the 'Organization'—I still have _no _idea as to why the hell they call themselves that—was back together once again. I definitely knew I was going to be seeing a lot more of them in the days to come.

God, save me.

"I fucking hate you two." Came Marluxia's shrill voice as they entered the house, "How many times do you think you can kidnap Lilac before I figure out _who _took **her**?"

"…If you hated us Marx, you wouldn't be over at Demy's house right now." Axel's voice came from behind him, "Something smells good …"

"Rox is probably cooking." My brother yelled excitedly. Demyx was the first one in the kitchen, followed by his entire motley crew. He sidled his way up to my shoulder, trying to peak over at what I was cooking, "What are you makkkkkinggg?" He asked excitedly, somewhat reminiscent of a small impatient child.

"Back!" I ordered, jabbing the spoon at him, "Get **back**!"

"Jesus, Dem. Can you stop thinking about your stomach for five seconds? You just ate." Axel laughed, coming into the kitchen. "That does smell good though …" He walked over to my older side and leaned in to sniff the pot.

"So, did you make enough for all of us? Hm, hm hm?" Demyx prodded again, shaking my shoulders gently.

"Didn't I say get back?" I asked, pointing the spoon at him again, "And yes, I did. So go sit down and occupy yourself with something and leave me alone while I cook!"

"Why do you always have to yell at me and never Axel, hm?" Demyx whined, standing at full length.

"Because Axel isn't annoying." I quickly answered, turning the flame down under the pot.

"See. I told you he likes me better." Axel winked at him, sticking his tongue out.

"Dude, it is **so **gross when you do that." Demyx whined, "Put your tongue back inside your mouth. I hate looking at that thing."

Axel dramatically threw his arms around Demyx, leaning in to lick him on the cheek. Demyx strained against his hold pulling his face away from Axel's tongue, "Ohhh, Demy. You burn me with your words."

I found myself drooling. Just a little.

"Get **off**!" Demyx yelled, flailing his arms.

"Call us when it's done, Roxy!" Axel yelled, pushing Demyx into the living room where Marluxia and Zexion were.

I ignored the shouts and laughter coming from the living room and resumed cooking. I was in my own little world when my cell phone vibrating against the counter knocked me out of my reverie. Naminé, my best friend, was calling me.

I've known Naminé since we were kids like the majority of my friends. I mean …in Twilight Town, the friends you grow up with are the ones you keep for life in most cases. Anyway, Naminé has been my main confident ever since I was younger. She was the first to know about how I discovered that I wasn't exactly getting _happy _off of posters of big busted girls in bikini's that Demyx had posted all over his room, if you catch my drift.

…Yeah.

Anyway, back to Naminé.

Mom was always trying to get me to go out with her friend's daughters, always yelling, "I want grandchildren one day mister!" or "Why can't you be a skirt chaser like your older brother!"

Naminé tends to think it's pretty amusing to tell you the truth.

Her family is the complete opposite of my own. She lives with her liberal artist mother and nazi feminist bisexual older sister, Larxene—who also happens to be my older brother's possessive, bitchy and psychotic girlfriend—in the more urban parts of Twilight Town. She was more accustomed to the, "free expression and free art!" approach to life.

Whatever the hell that is.

For awhile—really, it was only to get my parents off my back—we dated. Nowadays though, it didn't really matter too much since I'm off at college and she's here in Twilight Town doing her art classes or whatever. I think my parents pretty much figured we "broke up" after high school. Oh, what they didn't know.

I picked the phone up, pressing it to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hey," She began, "Why didn't you tell me you were home?"

"I just got back last night." I told her, peering into the pot again. "I would've called you eventually, you know?"

"Sure you were. Roxas, you're terrible when it comes to calling people." She said, "I saw your brother today."

"Really?"

"Yes," I could hear the mirth seeping into her voice, "And he was with a certain red headed friend of his …"

"Oh really?" I fiend ignorance, "What were they doing?"

"Trying to shave Marluxia's cat." Naminé replied. "Or so my sister tells me."

"Sounds like them." I sighed, peering over my shoulder at the living room. "So, how've you been?"

"Fine," Naminé trailed off, her voice going a bit high.

"You okay?"

"Uhmm …yeah, don't mind that. Anyway, I was calling to ask if you wanted to meet me over in town tomorrow for some catching up or something. You know, for old time's sake?"

"Sounds good …I'm not doing much of anything these days…"

Naminé hummed knowingly, "Really?" She asked, "How goes the Axel hunting?"

I glanced over my shoulder, looking at the shutters that closed the bar area off from the kitchen. Peaking through one of the shutters, I caught sight of what I was been looking for. "Funny that you should mention that, I'm looking at my target as we speak."

"Well? Any new developments?"

"Zilch, Nam like always …" I closed the shutters and reclined.

"…Roxas …"

"Don't start there with me right now. I'm hardly at liberty to discuss my love life or a failure that is at the moment. There are retards within the vicinity." I cast a glance toward the living room.

"Ahh, the motley crew is at your house then?" She laughed, "Should I let you go?"

"If you don't mind." I replied, "I'll meet up with you tomorrow alright? Just call me and tell me when and where."

"You better stay true to your word, Roxas."

"I will, I will …" I sighed, "See you, Naminé."

"Bye, Roxas."

The line went dead and I pocketed my cell phone. I turned around and reached up into one of the cabinets to get a plate down. Swerving back around on my feet, I piled some pasta onto my plate and stuck a fork in the center. After pouring myself a glass of water, I exited the kitchen, turning to look at the group situated in the living room. "You can get your food if you want."

Demyx mumbled something under his breath but stayed fixated on the television. Marluxia was busy talking away on his phone and Zexion appeared to be focused on the television like Demyx was. Axel turned to look at me, grinning widely. "Thanks, Rox!"

I quickly turned away, thudding up the stairs pretty sure a blush was creeping up over my face at that exact moment.

Shit.

-x-

There is a reason I don't make an attempt to remember the majority of my dreams.

I rarely have any worth remembering, and even when I do, all I'm left with are disjointed fragments of something I can't fully remember. Like that one dream I had with a naked Axel, a guitar and butter. Stupid short term memory …or whatever it is.

Anyway, I had a dream last night was nothing short of stupid. It was one of those useless dreams where you're left going, '_what_' more than anything else because of its sheer randomness.

God wanted me to be his shepherd. I don't know why, and I really don't care how. All I know is that I was herding sheep. Then out of nowhere, Axel comes onto the field I was herding on one of those …golf cart … things and starts honking around the entire place scaring the sheep away.

He starts yelling at me about how he needs sheep because they're made of pork and he needs to bring them to his father's slaughterhouse because he wants to make me a nice big pork sandwich to eat. But then genius hits him and he goes, "But wait, aren't you Jewish? You can't eat pork, right? What am I doing?" And then he drives away to the other side of the field away from me and my sheep.

I told you it would make no sense.

Ugh.

I woke up early the next morning at close to eight. I still hadn't adjusted my body to its vacation mode clock, so for the time being I just woke up whenever. The sun was hidden behind a handful of clouds, stray rays escaping from small holes in the clouds as they floated on by. I got off my bed, crossing over to the door and opened it to head downstairs.

I was instantly hit with a waft of air that smelled like weed and spoiled milk. Not a very pleasant smell, I can tell you that now. When I got downstairs, I saw Demyx was sprawled out haphazardly on the couch in the living room, his arm hanging off the side and brushing the carpeted floor. Sighing, I turned off the TV he had left running and went into the kitchen to fix myself some breakfast. I nearly jumped when I saw who was standing around in my kitchen, wearing nothing but a wife beater and his boxers.

Axel grinned at me behind a mug of what was probably coffee, "You're up kind of early, aren't you Roxy?"

"I could say the same thing for you." I told Axel, walking around him.

He dropped his mug into the sink, "Ah, but I asked you first."

I shrugged, "I always wake up early."

"The complete opposite of Demyx. Sometimes I forget that you two are brothers." He shook his head laughing.

The thought of my comatose brother passed out on couch elicited a small snort from me as I crossed over to one of the cabinets to get some cereal down. I reached for a bowl out of the dish washer, pouring the cereal into the bowl and then got the milk from out of refrigerator. Axel was standing with his back against the counter humming to himself, watching me walk back and forth all over the kitchen.

I turned to eye him, "What?"

"Nothing." He smiled, standing up straight. "I'll go check on Demy."

As soon as he left, I exhaled the air I had been holding for the entire time Axel had been staring at me. Five minutes later, the silence of our house was interrupted by Demyx's screams and Axel's loud laughter.

…Those two.

-x-

"Staring at you, hm?" Naminé asked, blue eyes lighting up in mischief.

"It wasn't …creepy …" I told myself, knowing I had been lying. Okay, so I liked Axel staring at me. …But I'd prefer it more if he were staring at me while I was— …

"Maybe he was thinking of you naked." Naminé said out of the blue, taking the thought right out of my mouth.

I blanched shaking my head, "Naminé!"

"Like you wouldn't have enjoyed that?" Naminé grinned, "Roxas, come on now. How long have you been chasing after Axel? Two? Three years?"

"Four." I corrected her, "…Ever since my freshman year of high school …"

"And how old are you now?" She asked, mirthfully, "You're going to be eighteen in a couple of days. You'll be legal. **Legal**, Roxas! Do you know what you'll be able to do now that you'll soon be legal?"

"…Has your sister been talking to you again?" I asked, completely dismissing what she was trying to get at.

Naminé laughed, "Has she? I guess she has …I do sound a bit like her now, don't I?"

"Scarily, yes."

"So, on another topic …how's school been?"

"Fine," I replied. "You know. Full of nothing but drunken parties, streaking, drugs, people passing out everywhere, cramming for tests …typical college things. And you?"

"Art school is wonderful actually …" She replied fondly, a hand coming to her face.

"Tell me about it?"

"There's too much to talk about …but, right now we're doing some work with a model. I'm not really satisfied with my piece but I think it'll come together at the end. Speaking of, I need to get some new supplies. Can we make a stop off at Landscapes and Impressionisms later on?"

I shrugged, "Sure…"

She sighed, "It's a nice day out, isn't it?"

"I guess …"

She wrinkled her nose, "Is there anything you want to do today? Any stores in particular?"

"Actually, I have to go over to the record store… to let Cid know I'm back in town and all so I can work while I'm here. I don't want to be cooped up in the house during my entire vacation, you know." I said.

"Sure." She smiled at me, folding her hands together. "Then we'll pick up some lunch afterwards, is that okay?"

"Sure."

Naminé went on to ramble on about something but I wasn't listening to her really. My mind was drifting away to Axel once again. Demyx, despite our mother's warning, was probably going to go buck wild while they were gone. That meant, the more Demyx was prone to partying, the more Axel was going to be in the vicinity ...which was great for me either way.

The more I got to see of Axel, naturally the happier I was.

"Roxas, are you listening?" Naminé asked me, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Yes. Come on; let's go to your art store."

She looked at me skeptically and then dropped it as she started walking down the street again. I followed suit, my mind on thoughts of Axel the entire way.


	2. The Emotionally Retarded Lion and Wolf

**A/N**: Honestly, I don't think you guys know how _hard _it is for me to write first person Leon with Cloud in the background or …whatever. I'm incredibly _rusty _on these two …this is going to take some practice, for sure.

**Pocketship: Chapter Two  
**The Emotionally Retarded Lion and Wolf  
_Leon_

The bell above the door jingled alerting me that someone had entered the store.

I turned around to see Roxas entering the store with a small blonde petite girl at his side. He waved to me as he began taking off his gloves and shoving them into the pocket of his jacket. I set aside the stack of records I was currently rifling through to give him my attention.

"Hey, Leon." He said, stopping short a few feet away from me. His small blonde friend had gone off to browse through the store while he talked to me.

"Roxas." I nodded to him, pushing a bin of records behind the cash register. "You're back in town already?"

"Yeah." Roxas replied, rubbing at his reddened nose. "I was in the area right now and I wanted to drop by to let Cid and you know that I was back in town so I could start working again. Is he …in?" He looked over his shoulder briefly to check on the blonde girl, and then turned back to look at me.

"He's out of town for the next two and a half weeks for the holidays." I started. "And I'm going to be out of town for the next week or so, so the store is going to be closed for awhile."

"…So, uh …"

"It'd be better if you came back after New Years passed. Cid won't be back, but I will."

"Well, alright." Roxas fiddled with his gloves as he pulled them out of his pockets. "I guess …you can just call me when you're back in town then?"

"I will." I replied, watching as he slowly backed away from the cash register and turned his attention to his friend who was looking at some CD's in the classical section.

He waved goodbye to me, and mumbled a word of thanks as he grasped the blonde's hand and gestured toward the door. She turned to look at me briefly, before saying something back to him. Roxas waved one last time and the two of them were out of the door.

I went back to what I was doing as if they had never interrupted me in the first place. I was so absorbed by my work; I became completely unaware of the amount of time that had elapsed. It was only when my phone started to vibrate against my thigh, did I realize how late it had become. I dropped a box back down to floor to check it.

_From: Cloud_

_When are you coming home?_

_Fri, Dec 21st, 6:23 pm. _

I already had a feeling it would be something from Cloud even before I got the chance to open my phone. I sent him a quick reply back—in the form of '_soon'— _before turning my attention on the last pile of records that I was moving. When I was done, I went into the back room to go and retrieve my coat, and step outside to lock up and head on home.

My name is Leon Hart. Or Squall … but that's a name only reserved for my family.

There's nothing too interesting to know about me. I'm twenty three years old and I've been running my father's old record store alongside his partner Cid, ever since he passed away nearly three years ago. I'm currently living in the downtown area of Twilight Town with my boyfriend, Cloud. We've been dating for some time now and during the holidays this year; he's finally taking me to Traverse Town to meet his family.

…Yes, it's finally time for me to 'meet the family'.

I guess it's only appropriate that they finally meet me, seeing as Cloud's somewhat become integrated into my own. Honestly, my mother takes to him as if she had a third son and my little brother, Sora, is always finding excuses to come over so he can hang out with him.

Anyway, going back to the prospect of meeting Cloud's family, I can't say I'm jumping-out-of-my-shoes excited to finally meet them. Then again, who_ is _when it comes to meeting your significant others, family? I just know that at this point in time, I'm ready to.

…Whatever.

The bus ride from the record store back to my apartment was shorter than I expected, which was perfect for me. I'm not too much of a fan of the cold anyway. I drew my jacket in tightly as I stepped off the bus and unclenched my arms once I stepped into the warm lobby of my building. After I nodded respectfully to the lobby attendant, I went to go check the mail and then backtracked for the elevator.

"I'm home." I called out the moment I opened the door, and withdrew my key from the lock so I could close it and lock it. "Cloud?"

"You're home a bit later than usual." Cloud said, looking up at me when I entered the kitchen. He was in poised in front of the sink, his hands submerged in the soapy water. "Did something happen?"

"I lost track of time." I replied, dropping the mail onto the kitchen table. I shrugged my jacket off and dumped it onto the back of one of the chairs, and went to sift through the mail. Bill, junk, bill, bill …a holiday card from mom and Sora …bill …

"Did you eat?" Cloud asked, from behind me.

"Not yet …" I murmured, separating the mail. The first thing I turned my attention to was the card from Sora and my mother. "What'd you make tonight?"

"Some pasta and vegetables. Something simple." Could responded. "Your brother called while you were out."

"Did he say what he wanted?" I began to pull the card out of the envelope and look it over.

"He was just calling to see when we were leaving."

"Did you tell him?"

"Yeah." He replied, shortly.

I heard the water stop running, so I looked up from the card to see Cloud looking expectantly back at me. "What?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing." Cloud began again, albeit looking a bit distracted. He wiped his wet hands down on a paper towel and then turned to look at me again. "Are you hungry? I made you a plate for when you came home."

I shrugged, sitting down at the table. "A little."

Cloud walked over to the microwave and pressed a few buttons and a few seconds later was walking over to me with a steaming plate of pasta and vegetables. He sat down in the chair across from me and rifled through the mail as I ate.

"Mom and Sora sent us a card."

Cloud picked the card out from the mess of envelopes and opened it up to read it. "…Hmmm." He laid the card back down a few minutes later. "Are you all packed and everything for tomorrow?"

"For the most part, yes." I answered, stabbing at a piece of broccoli.

He drummed the side of the table again, as if he wanted to say something to me but was skirting the issue. Finally, he stood up abruptly just as I was finished eating. "I'm going to go get ready for bed." He said, "Just put your plate in the sink, I'll take care of any stray dishes in the morning. Don't stay up too long, alright?"

I nodded wordlessly to him and he left the kitchen without another word. I had felt the stress permeating off of Cloud the minute I had stepped into the kitchen. This proposed visit was probably taking more of a toll on him than I realized.

My mother always said to me that Cloud and I were a match made in heaven. The both of us—as she so often put it—were the strong and silent type. We were often unwilling to speak our minds, so on and so forth. I don't know how that made us a match made in heaven. I know we were similar, but it also set us up for conflict at times. Take my word for it; I knew our communication skills needed a _lot _of work.

It made our relationship a whole lot more difficult because we were always dancing circles around with each other. We were always trying to avoid confrontations and always trying to hide how we were truly feeling. When it came down to it, though, I genuinely cared about Cloud and I knew—or felt like—he cared for me in if not the same way, perhaps close to it. I suppose it was pointless to dwell on it for too long. If something was bothering him, I knew he'd eventually come to me on his own terms and talk about it.

It's pointless to try and force things out of people when they don't want to talk about them.

-x-

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not much of a morning person.

I abhor all that it is to wake up at the crack of dawn and to get out of the warmth of a comfortable bed. Cloud, however, completely unlike me, _is _a morning person. He's always up before the crack of dawn and goes to bed just a few hours after the sun sets. So when my alarm went off the next morning, and I woke up to find that it was still dark outside and beginning to snow, you can see how I merely wanted to snuggle back into my bed sheets and fall back asleep. But no, as if on cue, Cloud had come back into our room to wake me up the minute my eyes had begun to close again.

"Leon. Come on, you have to get up." Cloud whispered, shaking my shoulder with an all too warm hand. "We have to get a move on so we can hit the road early."

In response, I merely groaned and buried myself in the sheets again. "Five more minutes."

"I already gave you an extra half hour. You were supposed to be up at five thirty." He paused, shaking me again. "It's six."

I inhaled sharply, "Mus' we leave so early?"

"Yes." Cloud whispered again. "Come on, we have to leave so we can beat the crazy traffic. I made you some breakfast; it's on the kitchen counter."

It's about a two and a half hour drive from Twilight to Traverse Town. Cloud opted that we take the train, but during the holiday season tickets usually get sold out like no one's business and I didn't want to get caught up in the rush.

I sighed, rolling over in bed just in time to see Cloud disappear out of the room. I pushed myself into an upright position, yawning loudly as I stumbled out of bed and planted my feet firmly onto the shaggy blue carpet underneath the bed. Cloud had already taken the liberty to lay out something 'presentable' for me to wear, so that took care of searching for an outfit for the morning.

I took a quick shower, and got ready to go within a matter of minutes. When I was done with the essentials, I found Cloud sitting in the living room watching the weather channel. He turned to look at me the minute I entered the room, and then looked away when I walked into the kitchen.

"Weather man says it's as cold out there as it is here. I hope you packed warmly."

"I did." I called back, turning my attention to one of the counters, "Cloud, I presume these waffles are for me?"

"Yeah." He called back, his voice growing distant as he moved away from the living room and toward somewhere else in the apartment. "When you're done, wash it off and put it in the dish washer!"

"Right." Did I happen to mention Cloud's a bit of a neat freak? He keeps the apartment pretty close near to immaculate. Part of it is due to his allergy to dust the other part is just …instilled neatness, I suppose.

Whatever.

The minute I was done with my dishes, I rinsed them out and stacked them in the already full dish washer and walked out of the kitchen to find Cloud had already begun stacking our bags near the front door. He was back in the living room, this time watching the morning news without much interest. He had thrown his jacket over his lap and his boots were unlaced as if he were about to put them.

Cloud turned his attention on me, blue eyes a bit curious, "Are you ready?"

"I just have to get the car keys and double check to make sure I didn't miss anything." I called over my shoulder as I headed back toward our bedroom. I did a once over in there to find everything in order, and then headed off to the bathroom to do the same thing. "Alright."

Cloud quickly put his shoes on and turned off the television in the process. I checked out the kitchen to make sure everything was in order while Cloud got ready to leave. When I came back into the living room he was by the door, waiting for me. I looked around us, and then nodded.

The sun was beginning to peak up over the horizon the moment we stepped outside. The snow that had been falling earlier had ceased and a thin blanket of white flakes were scattered across the concrete side walk. With me carrying the brunt of our bags, Cloud led the way to the car a few steps ahead of me. When we finally got to my sedan, I popped the trunk, threw our bags in and then rounded back around to the driver's side so Cloud and I could both get in. With a loud yawn, I started the car and blinked a couple of times to clear my eyes of the tears that formed at their corners.

"Want to stop for some coffee?" Cloud asked as he turned up the heat.

I shook my head, "Later. We'll get something on the road." I replied, glancing at him briefly. He shrugged at me in agreement. I pulled out of our spot and we were off.

-x-

The drive to Traverse Town was longer than I expected.

Remember that supposed two and a half hour drive? It didn't happen. It became nearly four hours with the rate at which we were going. With traffic, the occasional pit stop—three bathroom breaks, twice for gas and food—and getting turned around quite a few times, the trip wasn't exactly the easiest. But it made it all the better when we finally arrived at our destination.

Cloud's family lived in a quaint little gated neighborhood just outside of the more commercial parts of Traverse Town, in what was known as the "Third District." I had been to Traverse Town a few times before with my family when I was younger so I was somewhat familiar with the area.

The First District, being the largest district, was the home to the more commercial parts of Traverse Town such as shopping, entertainment, local universities, tourist attractions and the like. The Second district catered to more of the business aspects of the town, along with some residential, schools and shopping areas. Finally, there was the Third District which was mainly a residential area and compromised mainly of families and elderly couples. There was a rumor that they were going to split the Third District into a 'fourth' district because the area was so large, but that remained to be seen.

Whatever.

The moment I pulled into the drive way of Cloud's house, I saw the curtains in the front of the house flutter and a few minutes later, the front door flew open and a small blonde girl was standing in the doorway. She was grinning from ear to ear and waved at us before we even got out the car.

"…That would be my younger sister, Rikku." Cloud murmured as I turned off the car. He looked up at me as I was getting ready to get out of the car. "Leon?"

"Yes?" I paused, looking right back at him.

"There's …something I should have told you before we left …" He looked past me out the window and to the door. His sister had disappeared, but then came back to the door again with a blonde woman a few inches taller than she was. "…And it's a bit imperative that I let you know this now."

"What is it, Cloud?"

"My parents …rather, my family, doesn't exactly know about certain …_choices _I've made about my life style right about now." He said.

"You're saying …?" I questioned, already dreading the feeling I was getting from where this was going.

Cloud looked away from me, watching his sister making her way over to the car at that moment, all the while tugging the taller blonde girl after her. "They don't exactly know that I'm …"

"…Gay." I finished for him.

He sighed. "I'll elaborate more on it later, but not now. We've got company." Cloud leaned over at that moment, gesturing for me to lower the window so that he could speak to his little sister who was currently running across the spacious front yard.

She stopped short of the car, nearly smacking into the side of the car as I lowered the window. Rikku grinned, poking her head slightly into the small space. "CLOUD!" She exclaimed, just loud enough to pretty much damage my hearing for the moment. After Cloud acknowledged her, she turned her attention to me, "And you must be his friend, Leon." She grinned widely at me, "He's a cute one, Cloud."

I nodded courteously to her, and then glanced at Cloud briefly to find that he was completely focused on Rikku.

"Ooooh, you don't know how happy I am to see you, Cloud! _Quistis_ is being her usual stick in the mud self and _LeBlanc _is here showing off her _newest _boy toy to mom and dad. 'I'm so totally going to marry this one!' She says. Puh-leaze. Five hundred munny says she'll dump him before Hanukkah is even _over._" She paused to take a breather. "Do you need help unpacking? I tried to get Quistis to come and greet you with me but she was all, 'Durr, I have to help mom find one of the good menorahs!' …stick in the mud that she is." Rikku grinned, "I'm guessing you guys have your stuff in the trunk? Pop it and I'll help you get it out!" She disappeared around the edge of the car without another word.

I turned to look at Cloud and he shook his head at me mouthing the word; _later _to me. He got out of the car, closed the door and followed after Rikku. I pressed the button in front of me to release the trunk, and sunk back into my seat and sighed loudly as I massaged the front of my face.

…This was going to be one _hell _of a week.


	3. The Oblivious One

**AN: **I admit I do like writing first person Sora. He's so adorable, quirky, naïve and innocent. He's just a-dork-able to put it simply and I guess that's why I usually have so much fun writing him. Come on, you know your heart melts whenever you see that stupid little grin of his X3.

**Pocketship: Chapter Three  
**The Oblivious One  
_Sora_

My name is Sora Hart…

…And I wish that my two best friends, Riku and Kairi, would stop fighting over me.

It's gotten to be such a progressive problem that I'm all tapped out of ideas for what to do with the two of them. I've tried to incorporate both of them into joint activities so we can all hang out together, but whenever that happens, they usually just end up fighting like all hell. I've known Riku and Kairi ever since we were kids. Granted, I've known Riku for longer but I feel just as attached to Kairi as I do to him. I don't want to lose either of them because they both mean the world to me.

You know, I was always told that when you got older, you were supposed to mature. At least, that was the _impression_ I got from other people. I mean, just look at my older brother, Leon. He acts more like an old man than a twenty-something year old. Mom always says he just lives a 'rigid' life style though, whatever _that's _supposed to mean.

Anyway, back to my problems.

I can't pinpoint exactly when it started, but it _definitely _became more noticeable just after Riku came back from this summer after his first year of college. Once summer started, Kairi and Riku never seemed to leave me _**alone**_. If I wasn't doing something with Riku, Kairi was filling up my schedule for time to be spent alone with her.

They never seemed to be around each other for whatever reason, and like I said, when they were, it was as if hell had sprung out from beneath my feet and landed right in front of me. There were many times when Kairi stepped beyond the verbal bounds and tried to get physical with Riku, but during those times, I often jumped in to intervene before anything _**too **_catastrophic happened.

Also when I tried to bring up the problem with either one of them, they both skirted the subject so many times that I just about gave up on it. Riku just really quiet and reduced himself to answering my questions with a noncommittal sounds.

It was like he wasn't interested in what I was saying to him and there was never any substance to what he was saying. Kairi would laugh, call me silly and change the topic to something else. As much as I hated to admit it, it was _really _starting to tick me off. And that doesn't happen all too easily.

Most will probably tell you that I'm a pretty level headed and easy going sort of guy who rarely, if ever, gets angry at anything. A little 'pouty'—as Riku always says—but never angry. But, no, I was certainly starting to get angry over this.

…And to tell you the truth, I don't think I could stand for it much longer.

-x-

"Sora!" My mother called upstairs, knocking me out of my thoughts. "Sora! Riku's here to see you!" She called out again just as I was getting out of bed.

"Coming!" I called back down the stairs as I opened the door to my room. The minute I started to walk down the stairs, Oathkeeper was bounding up toward me, her white tail wagging enthusiastically when she saw me. Oathkeeper—often referred to as my little sister by my mother—is a little, barely pushing five pound, Maltese that my mom absolutely adores. She got her after our last dog, Oblivion, died around fall of last year.

"Rraaf!" Oathkeeper looked up at me with bright brown eyes when I leaned down the pick her up. The moment I gathered her into my arms, careened her face up to start licking my cheek, and steadily moved over to my nose. She's …an affectionate little something.

Riku was standing by my mother in the living room, talking about something with her and laughing all the while. They both turned around to look at me the second I descended the stairs into the living room with Oathkeeper in my arms. The minute she saw my mom, Oathkeeper very well jumped out of arms and sprinted like hell fire over to her.

My mother laughed, leaning down to pick up Oathkeeper, "Well aren't you a little spitfire of energy today? Are you just showing your tail because Riku's here?"

Riku laughed in return, scratching Oathkeeper behind the ears as she leaned out of my mother's reach toward him. "She's gotten bigger since I've seen her last."

"And a whole lot more active, too." My mother shook her head, "I'll leave you with Sora, now. It was good seeing you, Riku." With a quick nod to Riku, she left the room with Oathkeeper in tow.

I waited until she had left the two of us alone before I said anything, "What's up, Riku?" I motioned for him to follow me as we walked through the living room and back in the direction of the stairs.

Riku began shrugging his jacket off his shoulders as he followed after me. "Nothing much. Thought I'd pay you a little surprise visit."

"You're not …leaving to visit your dad this year, are you?" I asked, as we ascended the stairs in unison.

"Not quite." He murmured.

Riku's parents are divorced. After they split, his father moved away to Radiant Garden while his mother stayed here in Twilight Town. For most of the year, excluding school, Riku's usually in Twilight Town. But, sometimes he leaves to—rather, it's more like he's forced into—visit his father for the holidays or during vacations and such.

He doesn't like to talk about too much, and but I know it bothers him even if he doesn't admit it.

"Then …?"

"I can't pay you a visit if I wanted to, Sora?" He asked, a grin unfurling on his lips.

I opened the door to my room and shrugged as Riku followed me in and closed it behind him. I went back to lying on my bed like I had been previously. Riku joined me a few seconds later after throwing his jacket over my desk chair. "So what have you been up to today, Riku?" I asked, as he settled in on the opposite side of the bed.

"Nothing really." Riku replied, "I was on my way to the store to pick up some egg nog for my mom, but …"

"…You figured coming to see me was more important?" I asked, as I flipped over onto my back, my head hitting the pillow behind me. I laughed, "Your mom is going to wonder what's taking you so long."

Riku laughed, "She's going to be in _no _rush, trust me. Loz, Kadaj and Yazoo flew in for the holidays this year. They're over for the next week or so and with them around, all the work that I used to have to do around this time has lessened significantly. So if I'm a little late coming from the grocery store, she's not going to complain _too _much."

"Your cousins are here? …And they flew _in _all the way from Edge?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "That's like a five hour flight."

Riku shrugged, "You're telling me." He straightened his posture a bit. "So what about you Sora? What have _you _been up to today?"

"Just thinking about stuff…" I said.

"Stuff, hm?" Riku questioned, leaning towards me with a smirk on his face.

I gazed at him momentarily, about to respond when my phone started to ring. "Just a moment." I sat up to retrieve my phone off my nightstand and looked at the number briefly and grimaced slightly. I knew I'd be entering hell in a little under a minute. I flicked the phone open and gave Riku an apologetic look as I held it up to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked, closing my eyes in anticipation for one of Kairi's enthusiastic greetings.

"So-ra!" Kairi half-sung into my ear, giggling a bit afterwards.

"Hey, Kairi." The minute the first syllable of her name left my mouth, the look on Riku's face darkened considerably and I knew I had _definitely _reentered hell. I hadn't even been back in Twilight Town for a two** days **and I already knew they were going to start right back up again where they had left off before we all left.

"Tell her you're busy." Riku hissed, not even bothering to lower his voice.

"Hey …" I said again, looking up at Riku who had crossed his arms over his chest and was shooting a rather intensive glare in my direction. "Uh, Kairi? Can I call you back?"

"What's wrong? Is something …" Kairi paused, and then I heard the change in her voice immediately. "…Riku's over there, isn't he?"

"He's here. Kai—" I started, but she cut me off before I could finish.

"Nope, don't worry about it Sora. It's no problem; he'll just have to deal with me when I arrive."

"Arrive? Wait a minute, you're coming—"

"I'll see you soon, alright, Sora?" She giggled, and with that the line went dead. I hit the send button again to call her back but her phone went straight to voicemail. I tried two more times, failing at each attempt. Riku was looking at me expectantly when I sighed, falling back onto my pillow as I massaged my temples.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice remaining neutral.

"I'm guessing that Kairi is on her way over as we speak." I replied as I closed my eyes.

"You _guess_." Riku replied, incredulously.

"She hung up before I could get a word in edge wise, and she's not picking up her phone." I shook my head, grimacing slightly. "Riku …_please _don't start."

He looked out the window, and shook his head. "No, it's alright. I should get going; you know …I have to go to the store for my mom and all." Riku got to his feet and I held out a hand tentatively to stop him but he still progressed with getting ready. I nearly had to rush after him as he left my room and headed downstairs into the living room. I paused by the front door while he grasped the door knob and stared at me airily.

"Riku, you don't have to go." I said, shaking my head.

"…No, I …" Riku looked past me and then shrugged, "Rather, I'm going to be the bigger person here and leave before anything stupid happens. I'll call you tonight, alright?"

I sighed, "If you say so."

He ruffled my hair affectionately and was out the door. Not a minute after I had closed the door after him, the doorbell rung and I didn't even have to look through the peep hole to know who it was. The minute I opened the door I was greeted with Kairi grinning from ear to ear at me.

"Sorraaa. Long time no see, hm?"

"Kairi …" I began, moving aside to let her into the house. "…Come on in."

-x-

"…M'llo?" A tired voice murmured from the other line.

"Roxas?" I mumbled, trying to keep my voice low so my mom wouldn't hear me. I bit on the nail of my thumb on my left hand, whilst tapping my right foot nervously on the mattress of my bed. "Roxas, are you up?"

I heard a groan come from the other line, followed by a low whine. "…So …ra? The hell are you callin' me so late for?"

"Roxas, it's only …" I glanced at the clock and grimaced slightly. Alright, so I hadn't exactly checked the time when I had called Roxas. But I was nervous, and I couldn't sleep. I needed _someone _to talk to. "Alright, so it's one in the morning. But never mind that, Roxas, I need help."

"Damn right you do …" He yawned loudly into the receiver. "Didn't your mom ever teach you proper phone etiquette?"

"If she did I must have forgotten it." I murmured back. "Listen, Roxas, I've got a problem."

Roxas inhaled sharply, and I heard rustling on his end. "Sora …can't this wait until the morning? You know? When I'm up and coherent?"

"No, it can't. I need help _now_ or this is going to be on my mind all night and I won't be able to sleep because I've been thinking about it for so long and then you'll feel guilty because you didn't help me, and—"

"Alright. Stop. I'm up." Roxas snapped. He mumbled something about me being as bad as Demyx and sighed loudly. "What seems to be the problem, Sora?"

"It's about Riku. Um, Riku and Kairi together, that is. They …" I paused to try and formulate my thoughts. "…They can't seem to get along anymore. Have you …noticed that at all?"

"Not …really …seeing as I don't hang out with you guys all the time." Roxas replied. "Explain."

"Well …ever since we graduated, Riku and Kairi have been at it with each other on a daily basis. …You know, when all of us are around each other? I mean, Riku, Kairi and I, that is. Um …it started off really small, nothing too big. They'd get into little squabbles every now and then but you know how friends are, those things happen. We're not going to see eye to eye on everything and—"

"Sora, you're drifting." Roxas sighed.

"Sorry …" I mumbled. "Anyway, the squabbles eventually escalated into full on fights. I mean …today, Riku came over for a little while and lo and behold, Kairi is two steps behind him and arrived shortly after he did. I feel like they've just got this …_radar _or something when it comes to me. That it just seems to go off when the other is with me or something …"

"I'm …sorry, but you're losing me, Sora …"

"Riku and Kairi fight over me. That's the problem. I don't know why, and I don't know when it really started, but I know that _I'm _the reason for their fights."

"Well have you ever …I don't know, _talked _to them about it?" Roxas asked.

"They tend to avoid the topic every time I bring it up." I replied, crossly.

"And do you force your point across? Or do they just end up walking all over you?"

"Well …" I started, drawing my free hand underneath my chin in thought.

Roxas sighed, "Sora, I swear. Sometimes you're _way _too nice for your own good."

I frowned, "It's not like I try to be. It's just whenever I'd bring it up with them and try and get a word in edgewise, they somehow just turn me around in circles and negate the problem. Honestly, I've been trying to think around it, but it's hard, Roxas. I'm at my wits end and I really don't know what to do anymore."

"…Alright, alright." He paused for a moment, "Listen, how about you come over tomorrow and we can talk this whole thing out when I'm not about to fall asleep at any given moment and you're …you're just …well rested and whatnot. I know you'd rather talk now …but, Sora, I can barely focus on anything right about now …"

I bit my lip, as I mulled the idea over in my head.

"Well?" Roxas asked.

"…I guess so." I said, finally agreeing to talking about this fully with Roxas at a more appropriate time. "What time would you want me over?"

"In the morning. Does eleven sound good to you?"

"That's …a bit early. How about twelve?"

"Whatever is best for you. Personally, I have nowhere to go tomorrow." Roxas replied. "So it's settled?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow at twelve …or around then at least." I replied.

"Alright then, I'm going to back to sleep now if that's alright with you. Night, Sora."

"Goodnight." I pulled the phone away from my ear and hit the end button.

-x-

When I knocked on Roxas's door the next morning, I wasn't expecting to see Axel standing on the other side of it. Axel removed the cigarette that was in his mouth and stabbed it out in an ash tray he was carrying in one of his hands. Two seconds later, a wide grin came to his face. "Sora, long time no see, kid. Here to see Roxy, huh?"

"Something like that." I walked into the house as Axel gestured me in and closed the door behind the two of us. "He …is in, right?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs." Axel replied, setting the ash tray down and walking past me. "ROXXXASSSS! Get your little tush down here! Sora's here!"

I heard a low whine, someone groaning and then a loud thud. Roxas appeared at the top of the stairwell two seconds later looking like all hell had just broken loose. He looked from Axel, to me, and then back to Axel when he finally got downstairs. "Axel, _where's_ Demyx?"

Axel shrugged, "Um …I'm not entirely sure, actually. When I woke up this morning he was …gone? I think he went out with Larxene for a little while."

"I …am going to _kill _him."

"When isn't that the case?" Axel asked, resisting the urge to laugh.

"I can't find mom's good menorah that we always use for Hanukkah. You know the one, right? We used it last night! And I _know _he has something to do with it." Roxas cradled his face in his left hand and shook it. "...Hey, Sora."

I smiled a bit at him, "When did Hanukkah start?"

"Last night." He sighed, "You know …when the _menorah _was still **present**. Whatever, I'll find it later. Axel, if you get a moment, can you look for it please?"

Axel nodded, "Will do."

"Right." He turned to me, "Come on up, Sora." I followed Roxas up the stairs and down the hall to his room. He closed the door behind the two of us, and I took up residence on his bed while he sat down at his desk chair and fiddled around with his computer for a moment. "Give me a second, alright? Are you hungry or anything?"

"Not right now. Thanks though." I wiggled my way out of my jacket, and folded it over my arm and laid it down beside me.

Roxas swiveled around in his desk chair a few seconds later and drew his legs up into the chair so he was sitting Indian style. I mimicked him as soon as I got my shoes off. "So, Sora."

"So." I replied, tapping a finger against the insole of my foot. I looked up at Roxas, "Should I recap for you …or …?"

"No, I remember everything." Roxas replied. "Riku and Kairi are at each other's necks, and you think you're the reason, right?"

"I _know _I'm the reason." I said, leaning forward.

"Right …right …" Roxas drew a hand underneath his chin in thought, looking away from be as he searched for something to say to me.

"I've heard it from both of them _first _hand. They can't stand the sight, thought or mention of the other. All they want to do is be around _me _and then they fight like little kids whenever I spend more time with the other. Honestly, I don't know how I've dealt for it so long …but …" I sniffed, wiping underneath my nose gingerly. "…I think it's time that I finally do something about it, you know? I'm not going to spend my winter break like this."

"Besides …this, have they been acting strange around you?" Roxas started.

"Strange? This whole thing—"

"I …wasn't finished." He said, shaking his head. "Strange in respects to …" he trailed off and shook his head again, "Let's put it this way. Have Riku and Kairi been overly …affectionate or nice to you in any way? For instance, become overly touchy feely in any sort of way, complimenting you in any way they can and just been …kind of weird and not like themselves at all?"

"Well …I'm not really sure, actually." I replied.

Roxas sighed, crossing his hands over his chest and hanging his head. "You can't think of _anything _that sticks out like a sore thumb?"

"Well …Riku and Kairi are always sending me something in the mail while I'm away at school …but that's normal isn't it? You know sending each other care packages and stuff?" I looked up at him and he nodded at me to continue. I felt my forehead crease slightly as I thought on it for awhile. "And then Riku …well …Riku's always calling me adorable every now and then …and Kairi's the same when she calls me cute… I think that's something …new. Oh and … Kairi's always looking for ways to hug me, and Riku's the same when he ruffles my hair and …" I looked up at Roxas, my eyes growing a bit wide.

"…Come on, Sora. I know what you're thinking and it's not impossible." Roxas continued when I didn't speak. "The fighting over you, names of endearment …spoiling you rotten to whatever degrees both of them see fit. A normal person would gather that your best friends are possibly in love with you."

"…_No_." I said, pointing at Roxas. "No …they just …that's not true. They're just …they just care, that's all."

"Naminé is right. You _are _oblivious." Roxas said, sighing. "They probably fight all the time because they've realized that both of them like you and they're trying to win you over. I don't see any other logical explanation besides the fact that they might of have just woken up one morning and decided that they'd hate the other for no reason whatsoever. And that's not even logical."

"But Riku isn't …_gay _and Kairi …Kairi likes **girls**." I said.

"Ever heard of the term bisexual?" Roxas asked, raising an eyebrow in retaliation.

"This …Roxas, this is impossible." I groaned, falling back over onto my back.

"No, it's not. Besides, I think it's the most reasonable explanation for what's going on right now." Roxas shrugged, "I've got a proposal for you. A little experiment if you will."

"Go ahead."

"How long is your winter break?"

"About four weeks, why?"

"That's perfect. Alright, here's what you do." Roxas began, "Your job for the next few weeks is to figure out the following. For one, if you want to be with either of your friends in a romantic sort of sense and two, if not, then tell them straight up how you feel. This whole thing is not only putting a strain on both of them, but mostly on you."

"Both what if I don't _want _to be with either of them? Or can't choose who I want to be with should any romantic feelings arise for either of them?"

"…Then be honest with them and tell them that." Roxas said. "Look, this whole thing is about you. Riku and Kairi are you friends, best friends at that, but they _don't _control your life, and that sounds exactly like what they're trying to do at this moment."

"And if all else fails?" I asked.

"…Then come back to me and we'll talk about this some more and try and figure out another course of action." Roxas answered.

I sighed, low and hard. Why hadn't I thought of this in the beginning? "Is there anything else you can gather from all of this?"

"Nope, nothing at the moment."

"Alright, then." I sat back up, leant over to put my shoes back on and grabbed my coat from the side of me. "I'm going to go put this …'plan' into action. What comes of it …is …" I shook my head to clear it. "I should get going."

Roxas got out of his desk chair and followed behind me as we walked out of his room, down the hallway and descended the stairs in unison. "Call me and let me know how things go, Sora." Roxas said as we neared the front door.

"I will. And thanks again for everything."

He shrugged, "No problem."

"See ya, Roxas." I nodded to him, and let the door close gently behind me. I paused shortly outside the door as soon as I heard Axel yelling something at Roxas.

_Hey, Rox! I found the menorah!_

_Where was it? _

_In the downstairs bathroom!_

…_**Where **__in the downstairs bathroom, Axel?_

…_In the …toilet._

…_Axel, call Demyx. __**NOW.**_

I could only try and contain my laughter as I descended the steps of Roxas's house and headed on down the side walk, and back to my own home.


	4. I’m Not Wearing Eyeliner Tonight

**A/N: **For the record, Zexion is **not **emo.

**Pocketship: Chapter Four  
**I'm Not Wearing Eyeliner Tonight  
_Zexion_

"Roxas totally flipped on me. You know like it was _my _fault." Demyx mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "And then you should have seen Axel! He was laughing his stupid head off in the background and Roxas didn't say anything to _him_. But, no! Demyx always catches _all _the heat."

I retrieved a pair of gloves off of the counter and bent down to open the stove. Demyx moved away to allow me some room as I removed the brownies from off of the top shelf and set them on the stove top. "Well …Demyx, despite the fact that you were …inebriated …" I started, glancing at him as soon as I had set the brownies down.

"I wasn't …_inebriated_. I was just a little bit tipsy." He stated, rubbing at his chin.

I turned to look at him with a bit of a smile coming to my face. "Alright then, _tipsy._ You're still accountable for your actions either way." I jabbed a knife into the center of the brownies to check to make sure they were done. "You know how Roxas always thinks that you're irresponsible."

"_Thinks_?" Demyx asked, rolling his eyes. He cleared his throat, and began to imitate his younger brother. "Demyx, you don't _shovel _snow that way. You have to start at the porch and continue down the path at a forty five degree angle to explicate the maximum potential for the best results."

I shook my head, sighing. "Demyx, Roxas doesn't sound like that."

"Oh, yes he does." Demyx said, pointing quickly at me as he tried to prove his point. "You should _hear _him. He acts like he's like some old man instead of eighteen." He exhaled exasperatedly.

I set the knife down on the side of the stove and turned to look at Demyx. He was staring at the ceiling, his bottom lip jutting out a bit as he pouted. His sea green eyes were crinkled slightly as he concentrated on some far off thought in typical Demyx fashion. I turned away as quickly as I had turned to look at him. I cleared my throat as I walked away from him and wandered over to the refrigerator. "So, how are you and Larxene?"

"She's …as crazy as ever." Demyx replied, his voice becoming muffled by the open door of the fridge.

"You say that all the time, Dem." I replied, pulling the eggnog from the fridge. I waved the carton at him, "Do you want some?"

"Sure, pour me some." He sighed, leaning against the counter again. "Well …it's true! She's crazy if not ...crazier. Yesterday? When I went out shopping with her for last minute Christmas gifts? She nearly bit my _head _off in every store we went into. It's like, how is it _my _fault you waited so long to do your shopping and now stores have like …nothing in stock? I'll tell you, not my fault at all."

"Well this time of year makes people crazy." I said, reaching for two cups out of a cupboard above my head. "You know how stressful things can get."

"Eggh …" He swatted his hand dismissively. "Either way, it gives her no right to take it out on me like she does. Makes me wonder why I even put _up _with her half the time."

I shook the carton of eggnog of any droplets it held within its insides and handed his glass over to him. "Love?" I asked, curiously.

"Ha! More like …" Demyx frowned, accepting the glass from me, "…Well, maybe it _is _love. Very sadistic love. But whatever …enough about Larxene …"

I sipped at my own eggnog, as I crossed the kitchen over to the garbage and threw out the eggnog carton. "Are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow?" I asked, quickly changing the topic.

"You know I always do." Demyx's frown instantly vanished as he grinned at me. "Give up a chance for free food? And free food cooked by _you _no less? I don't think so."

"Yes, because we all know how you love your seven square meals a day." I said, turning around to look at him after I had thrown out the carton.

"Fast metabolism?" He asked, on the verge of laughing.

I shook my head at him, setting my glass down on the counter beside me. Demyx had just finished off the rest of his eggnog and was left with moustache of residue around his upper lip. I swiped at the upper portion of my own lips, "You have …um …"

He blinked, confusedly and then caught on and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know what you're going to say, 'Use a napkin next time', but whatever; this shirt is going in the wash anyway, right?"

"That's …besides the point, Demyx." I said, sighing.

He grinned, shrugging, "Well, I should get going." Demyx said, setting his glass down in the sink and running some water in it. He wiped his hands on his jeans and started picking his jacket up off the back of the bar stool. "You know, gotta get home and help Roxas light the menorah and all that jazz."

"Mmmh." I followed him as he walked out of the kitchen and towards the entrance hallway of my house. "We aren't going to have another menorah in the toilet incident, are we?"

"…If we do …" He turned to look at me as he zipped his jacket up. "I'll be right back at your house until Roxas is done with his own personal version of Armageddon."

I shook my head at him. "Just …"

"I know, I know." Demyx turned to grasp the handle of the front door. He let go of the handle, and in two second had swept me up into a brief, yet typical bone brushing Demyx hug. "Thanks for listening and everything, you know."

"Anytime." I brushed my shirt, more out of habit than necessity and walked over to the door with him. "Get some rest tonight and I'll see you tomorrow."

Demyx grinned at me one last time before he was out the door and walking to his car. He honked twice as he pulled out of my driveway and was off down the street. As soon as I heard the tires of his car screech as he cut the corner out of my block, I closed the door and groaned as I walked out of the entrance hallway and back into the kitchen. I picked up the phone that hung on the wall, dialed an all too familiar number and sighed.

"Axel? Are you busy? Then can you meet me at Freya's in about half an hour?" I paused, "Yeah …it's going to be one of those nights."

-x-

I go on unnoticed by a lot of people.

It's not because they don't like me or anything or I'm stuck up. It's just that …I'm really quiet. I'm not the type of person that goes out of their way to converse with people; I usually wait for them to come to me. I mean …that's how I met Demyx, after all.

Demyx was the first friend I ever made. The two of us were in the same kindergarten class together, and from the very first day that that we met, I seemed—to put it bluntly—to have been stuck with Demyx for life.

Not that I minded though, growing up with Demyx was …an adventure to say the least. Especially when Axel moved to Twilight Town in the summer before we started first grade, with the two of them …my life just turned into a bigger …spectacle than what it already was. But like I said before, it's not like I minded much. They always managed to keep things interesting despite the consequences the two of them usually faced for their actions.

I guess …you can say that I've always liked Demyx. As the years progressed, and with the two of us becoming as close as we were …you could say that I've always been _fond _of him. …And when I mean fond …I'm not speaking in a platonic sense by any means.

When my world seemed to fall to …shit back in my freshman year of high school, Demyx—well, along with Axel, but mainly Demyx—was just about the only person who was able to keep me stable despite it all. …And I suppose …when I finally pulled myself together by the beginning of my sophomore year, that's when I kind of started feeling something for him. It's not like I _wanted _to feel this way, the feelings just …they developed over time.

It didn't take long for someone to find out, and thankfully, that someone had been Axel. Axel—although he can be a bit of a big mouth at times—kept his mouth shut once he found out. He's pretty much been my consultant on …matters concerning Demyx through the years.

It's funny though. Axel can read other people like an open book, despite how well they may hide something. I don't know how he does it, he just does. Despite being able to read people so well, when it comes to himself, he's completely oblivious. I mean, anyone with eyes—actually, I think I'm the only one that sees it—can see that Demyx's little brother, Roxas, is smitten with him.

But enough about Axel and back to what I was saying about Demyx.

You must be asking me; Zexion, what the _hell _do you **see** in Demyx? Demyx, all his faults and flaws aside, has a heart of gold. He's not afraid to admit that he's human and doesn't try to make up for his short comings. Yes, I know he can be completely irresponsible, and he's got a bit of a dumb blonde complex going at times …but I've learned to accept Demyx for who he is. And to tell you the truth, I wouldn't change it for anything.

No …I really wouldn't change Demyx for anything …it's just …I wish …that what I _meant _to Demyx would change …

-x-

"So, tell me …" Axel began, stirring the contents of his hot chocolate. "…To what do I owe this visit to Freya's with you on this fine Christmas Eve night?"

I set my mug down before me, staring at the swirling contents of my own cappuccino. I peered up at him, and exhaled slowly. "The usual." I began, eyeing him briefly before I turned to look back down at my cappuccino.

"The usual …" Axel murmured, massaging his chin. "…Do you know how long it's been since I've heard those words?"

"Since I was last here." I replied.

"Thanksgiving. _That _was the last time we did our 'usual' thing. It wasn't that long ago, Zex." Axel said, "So, tell me what happened."

"Nothing really." I started, "Demyx came over because he wanted to get out of the house for a little while. You know, what with Roxas being home, you know how the two of them bicker."

"You heard about the menorah and the toilet story?" Axel asked, smirking widely.

"Yes." I sighed, shaking my head. "We talked for a while …you know, the usual hanging out thing. And then …he …left to go back home."

"You're _hiding _something." Axel murmured mirthfully, tapping on the side of his mug.

"Nothing of substantial worth happened, if that's what you're curious about." I said, sighing. "Listen, I called you out tonight because I wanted to talk to you about Demyx and Larxene. Demyx talked about Larxene for a little bit while he was over but …he didn't seem to want to talk about it for too long."

Axel shrugged, "I don't know any more than you do, really."

"Yes, well, you've been around Demyx more so than I have in the past months. I've had to rely on phone calls and the internet as my primary source of communication. And since Demyx is forever losing his phone or forgetting to check his e-mail or message me back online, I haven't really been informed of much." I picked my mug up again, "There has to be something that's happened since I've been gone."

"Why don't you just ask him?" Axel asked, propping his elbow up on the table and leaning down into his chin.

"I'd rather not pry."

"Then what are you doing now?"

"…This is merely …the two of us conversing about matters that have transpired since I've been away from Twilight Town." I shook my head, "It's not prying in the least."

"Keep telling yourself that." Axel rolled his eyes at me, and laughed again. "When it really boils down to it, you, as I already know." He stopped halfway into his sentence and then looked at me, shaking his head and snorting, "Actually, as _everyone _already knows, Larxene and Demyx are about as compatible as a …a sea slug and a …dinosaur or something. Horrible analogy, I know. Shut up and let me finish."

"I wasn't going to say anything." I murmured, resting my hands on the table.

"Sure you weren't." Axel continued, "The only thing that's really happened since you've been gone …is that their arguing has gotten worse. They nitpick each other for generally everything. The thing of it is …or rather, the way I see it …is neither of them really needs the other and I think …the two of them don't even know why they're in this relationship anymore in the first place."

"…That tends to happen to people." I mumbled to myself, shaking my head.

Axel went on, ignoring my side comment. "I mean, Larxene's an okay person when she's not biting your head off and Demyx has some redeeming qualities himself…" He turned to look at my slyly and I sighed, shaking my head at him.

"Must you always start with me?"

"Nothing wrong with a little teasing every now and then, eh, Zex?" He asked, drawing his mug of hot chocolate up to his lips again.

"Antagonizing a friend and teasing a friend are two _completely _different things."

"Really? I didn't get the memo."

"You don't get a lot of memos." I muttered under my breath, as I sighed. Honestly, sometimes I don't know why I bothered talking to Axel about _anything_.

He laughed again, "Well …like I was saying. I'm pretty sure if they looked hard enough, they could find someone they'd be happy with, because…as they are right now, they're not going to find that happiness with each other." Axel shrugged, a small grin coming to his face. "Maybe you should start preparing to make a move, Zex."

I sighed, feeling an impending headache coming on at full force. "I didn't come here to talk about my love life or lack thereof, Axel. All I wanted to know is if Demyx and Larxene were …"

"Going to break up anytime soon?" He asked, eyebrows raising curiously. Axel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into his chair. "Honestly, Zexion, how long are you going to keep running circles around, Demyx? If things keep progressing at the rate in which their heading, he'll be back on the market pretty soon."

"…Back …on the _market_? Honestly, where do you come _up _with these things, Axel?" I shook my head, sipping at my cappuccino again.

Axel cleared his throat, trying to imitate my voice. "Why, I do apologize kind, sir. Normal persons with twenty one years of aged-ness in America don't talk like they hail from Great Britian's noblest of noble …nobles houses of nobling …nobles …"

"I don't talk like that, and I'm not even British." I set my cup down, "And nobling isn't even a word."

"You're only further proving my point." Axel muttered under his breath, looking past my shoulder. He turned back to look at me, green eyes focused slightly. "…But anyway, before we get sidetracked again—"

"Your fault entirely." I muttered under my own breath and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Any_way_, like I was saying." He cleared his throat, "Look, point blank, Demyx and Larxene are going to break up soon. I don't know how soon, but I definitely know it's going to be within the next couple of months. Maybe even weeks. Who knows it might even tomorrow." He pointed at me, nearly toppling the table over. "What **you **have to do is get your freaking game face on, and your **A **game up and hop on your blonde lover boy before he skips his merry way into …into …no sunshine without my gay and happy rainbow boyfriend land."

I was _really _starting to get a headache now. "You seriously didn't just say that right now, did you?" I looked at him and sighed, "Not all gay people are flamboyant and love rainbows, Axel."

"You don't like rainbows?" Axel asked, grinning widely.

"Moving along." I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back into my chair. "…I suppose the only thing I can really do now is …just wait."

"Wait and prepare your game face…" Axel looked at me expectantly, wanting me to finish the sentence.

"And my…" I used air quotes to emphasize what he had said previously, "A …game?"

"You're learning, Zex."

I gazed down at his mug and saw that it was just about as empty as mine was. I stalled for a brief moment and then turned to look at Axel. "I think we're done here." I said, making a move to remove my coat from the back of my chair.

"Wanna go see the tree before we bring it back home?" Axel asked, pushing his own chair back as he reached for his coat.

"Sure." I shrugged in agreement and stood up just as he did.

The two of us left Freya's side by side, walking down the sidewalk to Twilight Town Square where the huge Christmas tree was lit up and glowing for all to see. Axel and I stayed there for a little while, just watching the tree with the many other people who lingered around us. Children held firmly onto their parent's hands, being scolded when they tried to run away and play with other children that they recognized from school or their neighborhood.

Friends stood side by side with each other, talking and laughing ever so often. Lovers, young and old stood together whilst holding hands and smiling up at the tree and ever so often at each other. In the midst of it all, a caroling group stood off on the side near the tree singing soft Christmas songs.

We didn't stay at the tree for too long and nearly left as soon as we had come. But the time we had spent there _was _nice. It was just …seeing everyone gathered as they were, together, was …I don't know how to describe it. I guess you can say that it was peaceful in a way. It was kind of something I needed at the moment with the way I had been feeling and all.

Axel and I got into my car and within about twenty minutes or so, were back in our neighborhood. I dropped him off at the walkway to his house, and rolled down my window so that I could talk to him once he got onto the sidewalk. "Are you coming over tomorrow?" I asked, as soon as Axel got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side.

"Yeah, I'll be over a bit late, but you know I'll be there. You know how crazy my family can get …what with Reno home and all." He grinned at me. "Don't worry, Zex. What I want _you _to get some sleep tonight. Don't stay up too late cooking or baking or whatever the hell it is you do."

"…I won't." I held up a hand, and frowned at him.

He leaned closer, motioning for me to lean toward him. "And you know …if you _can't _sleep." He looked around us again and then grinned, "Think of Demyx."

I stared at him for a long time while he stared back at me, the same grin on his face. I finally turned away from him, shaking my head and turning the key in the ignition again to start the car. "…I'm leaving."

Axel laughed lightly as I hit the gas pedal and sped away down the street. "See you tomorrow, Zex!"

Despite Axel's incorrigibility, I was glad I talked to him tonight. Primarily when it came to Demyx, I just needed someone to talk to every now and again about matters concerning him. And that's usually what Axel did, besides his incessant jibes and inappropriateness. I didn't think too much of it, I had learned to deal with it over the years. But despite it all, Axel was right in the long run. If I really wanted something to happen between Demyx and I, I would have to act no matter how hard it would be for me.

...This was going to be hard.

When I came home, I found my father in his study. I bade him goodnight, before heading upstairs to retire to my room. I quickly threw off my clothes and changed into a pair of pajamas and got into bed. I checked my phone briefly to see if I had any texts or missed calls, before setting it down on my nightstand and turned off the light by my bed. I sighed, massaging the bridge of my nose and sinking deep into the sheets, and dreamed of what tomorrow would bring.


End file.
